


Forbidden Transmission

by Amfor



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Cake, F/M, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Smut, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:22:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29565351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amfor/pseuds/Amfor
Summary: Sam and Jack are found in a unique situation and to help each other, they have to cross the boundary.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	1. Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Rating:MA
> 
> Warnings: Sexual situations
> 
> A/N: This story is my first smut so I hope you would like it. It would be really nice to read your feedback in the comments. :)
> 
> Thank you Blueandie :)

The warmth of the room woke Jack up. He was lying on the floor covered by something soft, some sort of fur. _"Where am I?"_ crossed his mind. He opened his eyes and realized that he couldn't see anything. The room was pitch black. No lights, candles or any other source of light.

"Crap." A quiet curse escaped his lips.

Jack changed his position from lying to sitting and leaned against the wall that was pleasantly cold in contrast to the warm and stuffy room. While enjoying the cool feeling offered by the rough stone to his back, a quiet sigh came from the opposite side of the room, not far from his position. His senses tried to distinguish that sound, because it sounded familiar. A few seconds passed until another, louder sigh resonated throughout the room. Very familiar.

"Carter?" asked Jack, precariously. No answer. He tried again, but louder. "Carter, is it you?"

"Sir? Yes, it's me." Her voice sounded weirdly unfocused.

A feeling of relief ran through his body. "Are you okay?" asked Jack, trying to stand up. However, his movement was too sudden and he had to touch the wall to regain his balance again. According to the sounds that Sam was making, she wanted to stand up too. "Be careful and stand up slowly, Carter. Otherwise you can-" He didn't finish his sentence, when he heard how Sam crashed into the wall.

"Auch."

"As I said," he muttered under his breath. "Everything is fine over there?"

"Yes, yes. I stood up too quickly and scratched my shoulder. Nothing serious, Sir."

"I am glad. Any signs of Daniel or Teal'c?"

"Negative, Sir."

"T, Daniel? Are you here?" Jack had to try it despite the feeling that nobody would answer. His assumption was right. They were alone.

"It seems they are not with us." Sam paused and took a deep breath. "Sir, are you feeling dizzy? It's a weird feeling."

Sam was right. He wouldn't have described it as dizziness, but something was definitely going on in his body. "Yeah, I feel it too. I hope it's just a temporary condition."

"Let's hope so," replied Sam while rubbing her injured shoulder.

"By the way Carter, where are we actually?" Jack tried to remember how they got there, but his mind was blank.

"I don't know. The last memory I have is standing in front of the Gate, prepared to travel to P4T-857."

Now she mentioned it, that memory came to his mind.

"Yes, MALP did confirm that the planet was safe for us to explore. Hm, but I also remember something else." Jack tried to catch that memory.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Flowers." It was all he could think of.

"Flowers? A special kind?"

"I don't know, Carter. Do I look like a florist?" He made a short pause as he tried to concentrate on the memory. "They were colorful."

"Never mind. Maybe we will remember the details later." Her words left a spark of hope hanging in the air.

"Maybe." Jack was ready to cross the room and meet Sam. "Carter, be prepared. I am coming clos-" He didn't get to even finish what he wanted to say before he bumped into her.

"Jesus, this room is small. Are you hurt?" He placed his palm on her shoulder to provide their balance. She grabbed it with her hand instinctively. "It was unexpected, but thank you for your quick reaction, Sir," said Sam as she gently patted his hand. Small, simple things, such as her touch, made him shiver. He loosened the grip of his hand and removed it from her shoulder.

However, one thought was still bothering him. While touching her shoulder, he didn't feel any cloth from the T-shirt that she had been wearing when they were still in SGC. Actually, at this very moment, he realized that he was also not dressed in his usual clothes too. He was half naked and dressed just in underwear. As he touched the fabric, the reality of their situation hit him like a shock wave and he slumped against the wall. That _thing_ \- he couldn't have even called it underwear - was just a piece of thin cloth in the shape of boxer shorts.

"Shit." Jack had to release his surprise.

"What happened, Sir?" Despite her surprise, the exhaustion in Sam's voice was still very much there.

"What are you wearing, Carter?" That question came out of him out of blue.

"What?"

Jack could hear confusion in her voice. "What are you wearing?!" he asked, more assertively this time.

"My T-shirt and-" Sam suddenly stopped. "Shit." A quiet curse slipped through her lips as she was, according to the sound, touching her body. "I have some sort of thin underwear." She was quiet for a moment. "Also all of my equipment is gone, Sir." A slight note of helplessness appeared in her voice for a second.

"Same here. They had to have undressed us."

" _They?_ " Despite trying to concentrate on Jack's words, it was difficult to keep up with his thoughts.

"Yes, Carter." He started to lose patience. "Whoever _they_ are, took everything. Our clothes, equipment, weapons. _Everything!"_

"Huh" was everything that she said.

"Major, wake up! We need your brain to get us out of here." Jack started to feel annoyed.

"Sorry, Sir." Jack heard her slide along the wall back to the soft floor. "Just a second. I still don't feel all that good." Lack of light and stuffy air in the room wasn't helping her with putting herself together.

Jack was surprised that he wasn't as dizzy as he was annoyed by their situation. However, his reactions felt too exaggerated even for him. Normally he could have controlled himself much better. " _Okay, somewhat better,"_ said his mind.

"Easy, Major. I didn't mean to push your limits." Signs of irritation suddenly started to fade away and in their place, there was a growing need to take care of her and the weird condition she was in.

"You can rest however long you need." He hoped his voice sounded friendly.

"Thank you, Sir." Sam sounded more enthusiastic than before. "I remembered that we found something on that planet. But every time when I want to grasp that memory, it flows away."

"Don't think about it too much and try to rest, Carter."

She was sitting and resting for the few next minutes when she finally spoke again. "I think I am already better, Sir." Her voice wavered as she spoke, but Jack didn't question it. "What are we going to do now?"

"I have an idea, but are you really feeling okay?" Jack didn't want her to pass out once they started moving.

"I am not 100% fine but 60% should be also enough...for now." Jack heard a smile in her words. "60% of Carter is still better than no Carter." His own smile was lost in the darkness.

"Okay, so then let's explore the walls," Jack suggested, his hands already placed on the wall next to him. "I start from here and you can from your position. Try to look for a door, switch or anything suspicious."

" _He was not going to die here. They need to find something that could get them out of here."_ "Yes, Sir." Sam stood up more carefully than the first time and started to check the surface of the walls.

Jack moved to the left side and carefully examined the cold surface of the wall. His fingers were looking for something unusual, some gap or a hump.

It took several minutes before he reached a place that felt very different from the stone wall. It was wood, precisely a wooden door with a metallic handle.

"Hey, I found something," said Jack, very excited.

"I am coming to you, Sir. There is nothing on my side of the room." Sam was slowly sliding along the wall to Jack's position. He stretched out his hand in her direction and found hers. He grabbed it and gently pulled her towards him.

"Thanks," she said and let their grip last a little bit longer than was necessary. He was distracted by that delicate moment, but after a second, released their connection with a guilty feeling lurking in his mind.

"Huh, yeah. No problem." He cleared his throat and moved the handle. Nothing happened. The doors were still closed. "Crap. They are locked." He couldn't hide his disappointment.

"Let me check them up, Colonel." She moved closer to him and, after a small search, found something that Jack missed.

"Sir! I think I found locks." She grabbed his hand and placed it on the lock that was above the handle. "Precisely 3 locks. But no signs of a mechanism that would open them."

That sudden spark of hope that Jack felt, disappeared as fast as it came.

"We have to open them somehow!" Jack pounded his fist on the door a few times. "Daniel, Teal'c, we're here! Can anybody hear me?!" No response. Pushing back his frustration, he turned back to Sam. "Carter, do you have an idea how to get us out of here?"

"To be honest, Sir." Her tone was already saying it without words and he didn't want to hear it.

"No. We didn't find anything except the door and some kind of locks. Any panel of power source or crystals and plus without equipment..." Sam didn't finish her sentence, but Jack knew what she wanted to say.

"I am sorry, Sir." Her apology confirmed his concerns.

"It's not your fault, Major. The last thing we have left is our hope that Daniel and Teal'c will save us."

"If they aren't in the same position as we are." As she said it, Jack heard how she glided along the wall and sat down on the floor.

"Carter?!" Jack was suddenly super focused, waiting on her to respond.

"I am down here. I needed to sit a bit."

"Jesus Carter, next time tell me when you want to do it again. I thought you just passed out." While saying it, Jack joined her. He didn't properly estimate the distance between them and sat so close to her that their shoulders touched. "Ehm, I am sorry," said Jack and wanted to move away, but she stopped him by grabbing his hand lightly.

"It's okay, Sir," and she let her hand fall back to her lap. He stayed. Perhaps she needed to lean on something.

"Sir, I think something is in the air."

"What do you mean, Major?"

"At the beginning I felt pretty tired, but now it is different. Maybe there is something in that air that made me feel like that. Maybe some drug."

"Different? How different?" He had a suspicion, but wasn't sure if he should say it out loud.

"My senses and feelings are somehow," Sam paused to think about the proper words, "stronger and more sensitive. I can't explain it better." As she said it, Jack felt how her head found a place on his shoulder. The smell of her hair reminded him of one of their earlier quiet moments in SGC.

"Carter the Superwoman?" He joked about her previous statement trying to cover his growing nervousness of her close presence. She turned her head towards his arm and softly giggled. Her lips touched his skin and her breath tickled his hairs. Jack was truly surprised by her innocent reaction that managed to evoke strong shivers of excitement passing down his spine.

"I know what you meant, Major." His thoughts were running at full speed. _When such a tiny touch made him feel that, what would happen to him if he imagined more. Her warm breath. Her sitting so close. Her in underwear. "Jesus, Jack stop!"_ Too late, because his blood began to concentrate in a certain part of his body. At that moment, as Jack realized it, the silence in the room was disturbed by a mechanical sound. They both jumped on the spot and stood up in a hurry.

"What happened?" asked Jack restlessly as he heard Sam move to the door and examine its surface. She didn't respond immediately, but after a few seconds she gasped.

"Carter?" The feeling of his nervousness was increasing.

"Sir, one lock is opened. That was the sound that we heard." The excitement in her voice couldn't be denied.

"Can you also open the other two?" Her enthusiasm also affected him. _"Please, say yes."_

"No, Sir. Their status didn't change. I don't see any possibility of opening them with force."

Jack, disappointed by that revelation, leaned against the wall. "Not even with your Superwoman force, Carter?" Humor has always been the only thing that helped him detach himself from tense situations.

"With Luke Skywalker's maybe." Her voice, despite being in an unpleasant situation, still sounded lighthearted.

"Hey, Carter. That was a joke. One point for you." He couldn't believe it, but he was laughing. They were locked without a vision of help, but he was laughing on that stupid movie reference. He didn't even like that film. Too much sci-fi.

Sam cut through his thoughts. "Maybe we activated it somehow and didn't realize it. We should try to replay our actions."

"Carter, I will do whatever you say, just get us out of here."

They sat back down on the floor and Sam put her head on his shoulder. Jack was too focused to enjoy their proximity.

"No, it's nothing," said Jack disappointed.

"What were we talking about, Sir?"

"You started with the topic 'Something is in the air'". He made air quotes with his fingers but realized too late that nobody could see them.

"Yes, and then after a few minutes you agreed. Why did it take so long?"

Jack was going back to his memories and tried to recollect it out loud. "Hm, yes. It took a while. You giggled and I started to feel something. Something strong and my- Jesus, no! It can't be!"

"What?" Sam couldn't hide her curiosity.

"Nothing." Jack's voice was strong and vigorous. "I don't want to talk about it." Then he stood up next to the door and placed his hands on the adjacent wall in a determination to calm himself down.

"Sir, maybe it could help us." She was relentless.

Jack knew she was right, but he couldn't say it. "I don't think so, Carter." His hands were shaking in despair as he considered the consequences of his possible escape plan.

"But Sir? Please tell me what you're thinking." Sam couldn't let it go.

Jack turned his head to her direction and gave vent to the anger building within him. "I am not going to talk about it, Carter! Will you stop asking me or do I have to give you an order?!" A feeling of shame filled his body immediately after he finished his last word.

Without a response, Sam stood up from the floor and moved past him, lightly bumping into his back as she passed in the dark.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet as she apologised. "I wanted to just check the locks again."

Jack sighed. "No. It's _me_ who should be sorry."

"It's because of the air, Sir. Your ability to control your attitude is suppressed." Her attempt to calm him down after his unprofessional rage made him feel even more ashamed than before.

"I would like to believe that." Jack's voice was unusually quiet.

"Then trust _me_ , Sir." This time her hand touched his back intentionally. That fleeting touch lasted just a moment, but said more than words would have.

"It's difficult, Carter."

"Maybe it's not _me_ , who can get us out of here, but _you_."

Jack took a deep breath. "I felt something. Down there on the floor, when your head was on my shoulder." He made a short pause, not sure if he wanted to continue.

Sam seemed to sense his insecurity and provided some encouragement. "Please continue, Sir."

Jack sighed desperately. "Jesus, Carter. You turned me on!"

"Oh," Sam responded.

"Can you imagine how awkward this situation is for me?" He removed his hands from the wall and let them hang next to his body, still turned with his back to Sam.

"Hmm." Sam nodded absent-minded.

"Hey, Carter. Are you there?" Jack desperately wanted to know what she was thinking.

"Huh? Yes, yes I am here. I think I have a plan how to get us out of here." She sounded pretty nervous and something about that made him restless.

"Really? Perfect. But why don't I like the tone of your voice?"

"I'm sorry, Sir."

He didn't understand. "Why are you sorry?"

Sam ignored his question. "I need to try it."

"What-?" And then he felt it. Her right hand touched his shoulder and glided down to his fingers to touch them fleetingly. Her fingertips ran across his palm and disappeared.

"Carter! What are you doing?!" His voice didn't sound as decisive as he had planned.

Sam stepped closer and pushed her body on his back. Then she stood up on her tiptoes and whispered to his ear. "I am trying to open the door." She hesitated a second, but then said again, "I'm sorry."

Jack didn't have time to react to her apology, because as soon as she finished speaking, she pressed her lips against his neck. "Carter." The tone of his voice changed from determined to pleading. Still tiptoed, Sam kissed the back of his neck and stepped back. She let her hands hug his waist as her kisses continued down along his spine.

Jack's pulse was erratic and the blood was being quickly delivered to the one place where he didn't wish to have it right now. He couldn't believe that this was her plan. " _Jesus, what if she is right?"_ He didn't have time to think about it too much, because his growing erection was now pressing against a thin cloth of his underwear and making it very difficult to think about something else than her soft kisses.

Jack didn't do anything that would encourage Sam to progress further, but he didn't stop her as well. He tried to keep his composure and trust in her plan but it became too difficult to do so as her hand approached his crotch. Jack temporarily conquered his desire and suddenly placed his hand on hers in an attempt to stop her.

"No, Carter. You shouldn't do this," said Jack, fighting with himself.

"I shouldn't, but I must." Sam ignoring his hand found a rim of his underwear, slipped under it her fingers and released his erection into free space. Jack's fighting spirit faded away and left him with nothing but a surprised moan. His mind, too weak to protest, let her fingers wrap all around his cock and gently squeeze it.

"Jesus, Carter," came out of his mouth when the first drops of precum wet his tip. At that moment, both heard how the second lock opened in a known sound.

Holding him still, Sam whispered. "I think we are doing it right."

"I don't think what we are doing _is_ right." However, his shaking voice was less convincing.

She didn't even let him exhale when she moved on. Her thumb found his tip and ran across it, wetting all of its surface. Jack didn't expect such a bold reaction. He clenched his fists and let out a muffled sigh. Sam continued with rubbing it, just with circular movements of her finger, until a second load of precum reached her skin. Jack's cock twitched under his growing arousal caused by Sam's incredible teasing.

"You're playing with me." He muttered almost inaudibly and placed his left hand on the wall in front of him. Sam didn't answer, but Jack felt how her lips touched his bare skin on his back and formed in a smile. Then they kissed his skin again softly.

Jack couldn't hold himself back anymore and suddenly wrapped his hand around hers and started to stroke his cock with a feeling of her skin on it.

"You are killing me, Sam." He said between the desperate sighs that were emanating from his throat. She let him lead the move and after he released his grip, she continued at a set speed. Jack was desperately groaning with every stroke that Sam made. However, the longer he had to stand her touch, the more he knew that this was not enough to bring him to climax. All of the sudden, Sam stopped and moved slightly away from his body. Jack surprised, turned around and blinked into the darkness.

"Carter?" He needed more.

"Yes, Sir?" She was there, but not as close as before.

Jack gathered the courage. "It's difficult to ask for it, but-"

Sam jumped into his words. "You need more, am I right?"

"Damn, are you reading my mind?!" He was pretty surprised by her prompt reaction, but, honestly, there was no point in pretending. Jack quietly sighed and without any signs of protest agreed. "Yes."

She was waiting only for his positive reaction to progress further. Her hand grabbed his wrist and guided it to her hip. She repeated the same action with his other wrist. His trembling hands from a hard-to-hide desire touched the cloth that was covering her pelvis. It was really soft, thin fabric and, for a moment, a captivating idea of tearing it apart crossed his mind. He got slightly carried away by that idea and buried his fingers to her body, pulling her closer. When her warm breath started to regularly touch his neck, Jack knew that she was close enough to hear his whisper.

"Turn around, Carter."

He helped her to do it by pushing her gently with his hands placed on her hips. When she was positioned as he wished, he placed his hand around her belly and pulled her against him. His erection was trapped between him and Sam's butt with a tip touching her bare skin. Feeling her so close, he couldn't resist and thrusted against her gently. His tip rubbed against her intensely and wet her skin with another wave of precum.

"Shit." Jack cursed under a rush of adrenaline and growing desire, hardly catching his breath. After a few more thrusts, he placed his forehead on her back in an attempt to rest a bit and calm down his moans.

In the sudden silence that followed, he realized that Sam's breath was irregular and her belly muscles were quivering under his touch. His verbal expression of suppressed desire had likely made her uneasy and he felt very embarrassed for being so selfish.

"I'm sorry, Carter."

"Why, Sir?" answered Sam with a trembling voice.

"I am putting you into an uncomfortable position by following my own desire." Jack was still trying to catch his breath.

"You shouldn't be sorry. You are my boss and I am there to help you with whatever you need, Colonel." Jack's fingers caressed her belly gently as she spoke which resulted in her last word disappearing in a covetous sigh.

"You're right, Major. And as the boss, I need to make sure my subordinate gets the best treatment possible." Jack didn't wait for her answer and moved his free hand onto her breast which was covered by the same cloth as her groin, and grasped it passionately. Sam didn't expect his reaction and trembled under the rush of emotions. Her hand met his, that was resting on her tummy, and intertwined their fingers together.

In a short time, the silky piece of cloth under Jack's palm revealed a hardened nipple. The knowledge that his touch turned her on, made him moan close to her ear and squeeze her breast tighter. Gasping, Sam pushed her butt against his erection and began to spontaneously circle her hips, creating sounds indicative of her increasing desire. The head of his cock was slowly sliding between her skin and the edge of her panties, leaving the marks of his precum on them.

"Jesus, Carter," sighed Jack and buried his face in her hair, breathing her scent. His palm on her breast relaxed so that his fingers could begin to focus on her sensitive spot. Small teasing circles with an occasional light rub of her erected nipple brought her to the pleading moans coming from the deep core of her body. Sam's muscles shivered and her grasp tightened every time Jack's fingertip touched her.

The desire that was building within her encouraged Jack in his next move. He moved his hand on her other breast, grabbing the sides of her underwear and sliding it down. Despite the fact that the cloth was soft and elastic, the irritation that its movement caused, made her groan really loudly and bury her fingers into his firm thighs. Sam almost lost her balance, but Jack quickly wrapped his arms around her and provided her with support.

"Thank you," Sam gasped.

"Anytime," Jack whispered to her ear and left a warm kiss on her neck. His arms were tightly hugging her around her belly and playing with the fabric that was, a few seconds ago, wrapped around her breasts. When he regained confidence in her balance, he finally let himself be overwhelmed by long-term desire and cupped her breasts in a passion. His fingers started to tease and rub her again.

"Sir." Sam leaned her head back against his chest and let her hands impatiently caress his thighs. Her touches didn't help him in controlling himself. While his left hand was still playing with her breast, his right hand was slowly sliding to her lap. Sam noticing his intentions, straightened up and placed her own hand on his, playing with her nipple. Jack felt her body tense in anticipation of his touch.

His own fingers were trembling from impatience until they felt that familiar feeling of soft, silky and, in this case, also very wet piece of fabric. At that moment, he realized how ready she was for him and a wave of desire that he could no longer suppress, ran through his body. He thrusted against her with a curse on his lips. In response, Sam flexed her body and almost painfully dug her fingers to his legs.

"Jack," was everything she could have said before his finger found her clit and brushed across it. Jack started to rub her clit, thrusting against her at the same time as he was kissing and gently biting her back. They moaned in unison and their sounds were filling the air in the room. Sam's hips were moving in a rhythm to provide the best pressure against Jack's finger.

It didn't take long until Jack realized that Sam was close to reaching her climax.

He stopped, suddenly without any warning. Sam's body trembled and she herself sighed in frustration.

"Sir?" The desperate tone of her voice reassured him that she was close.

"C'mere," said Jack, turning her towards him and placing his hands on her inner thighs, pushing them gently apart. Sam didn't protest and moved her legs, eager to feel his touch again. Now standing against each other, Jack grabbed his cock to one hand and guided it to her. As he touched her soaked panties, Sam's muscles twitched and her hands grasped his shoulders. Jack slipped his cock between her legs and despite the cloth, he immediately felt her warmth pressing against him.

"Jesus." He flung his head back and swallowed the sigh. Then he grabbed her hips and started to rub her with the head of his cock. He couldn't believe that simple touch would cause him such enjoyment. He started to do it for her, but in the end, he wasn't sure who was enjoying it more. Moans were escaping his lips regularly and his hands were shaking in a growing desire. He would not last long anymore. The stronger Sam's fingers were digging to his shoulders, the faster his movements were becoming.

"Sir, please." The words were gasped between sighs, but he could barely hear her anymore. "Please, don't stop." She was almost whining under the weight of approaching orgasm. She took a fast and deep breath three or four times and then passionately moaned. Her grasp on his shoulders tightened as her body twitched in a pleasure that was passing through her. Sam pressed her thighs together in a reaction to her orgasm, unaware of how much satisfaction it would bring it to Jack.

"Christ, Carter." He thrusted one more time against her with a loud groan and released the pressure that had been building within him for such a long time. His body was shaking and goosebumps were running down his body.

The third lock opened.

Sam's grip loosened, Jack's moans died away. Both of them tried to calm down their breaths and focus.

"C'mere." Jack embraced Sam and pulled her gently to his body. She hugged him back and placed her head on his chest. Their half naked bodies were warming each other while the beat of their hearts slowed back down.

"10 points to you," said Sam and softly giggled.

"I deserve at least 20, don't you think?" They both laughed in relief. Then they slowly pulled away from each other and adjusted their clothes.

"Carter?" Jack didn't know how to say it.

"Yes, Sir?"

"I would appreciate it, if that what happened here would stay between us."

"You don't need to worry, Sir." The decisive tone of her voice calmed him down.

"Let's get out of here, Carter." Jack was eager to find out what was going on with that damn place. It took him a bit longer to find the handle, and as he succeeded and opened the door, a bright light blinded him for a second.

"Damn." Jack put his arm in front of the face. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that he was not standing in the room anymore. Instead, he was looking at a meadow with trees and colorful flowers. _Those flowers._ Standing next to the trees were weird pieces of unknown technology. As he moved closer, he started to recognize two people sitting in those devices. It was him and Sam. He froze on the spot and glanced behind him in an effort to find Carter. She was not there. All that surrounded him was the meadow, without any trace of the room where they had been captured. Cautiously, Jack stepped towards the version of himself sitting in that device and realized that he and Carter were connected to it by electrodes attached to their heads.

As he touched the Jack who was sitting inside, he suddenly woke up in its place within that alien device, looking out towards where he'd just been standing. He had started to take the electrodes off when a silent voice in his head left a message.

"Ultorians are thankful for your transmission."

"What the heck was that?" Jack, slightly disoriented, stepped out of that device and noticed that Sam just woke up too. She removed the thin cables from her head and froze on the spot for a moment. Jack assumed that the same message was playing in her head as well.

"Carter. Are you okay?"

She avoided their eye contact and answered positively. "And you, Sir?"

"Me too. Did you hear that message? What does it mean?"

"I have no idea. We'll have to ask Daniel." She slowly got out of the device and checked up on her equipment.

"Yeah. By the way, it's nice to finally see the sun after all the darkness, don't you think?"

"Darkness, Sir?" She looked confused.

"In that stuffy room without windows and drugs in the air." Jack looked at her suspiciously.

"I am sorry, Sir. I don't know what you are talking about," Sam responded, still avoiding Jack's gaze.

" _Hey what is going on here. She doesn't remember?_ " Jack tried again. "Carter? You were with me the whole time and you don't remember it?"

"I remember you, Sir. But we were somewhere else." She finally looked at him, her cheeks were flushed.

Jack noticed it. " _Christ, did everything happen only in my head? Who are Ultorians and what did I do for them? Does Carter have a different story?"_

"What happened to you, Carter?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment Daniel's voice interrupted their conversation. "Hey, there you are. We were looking for you for half an hour. Where have you been?"

Jack and Sam looked at each other, confused.

"Half an hour?!" Jack was truly shocked. _"I thought several hours had passed since we were locked in there."_ His mind was struggling to process all of this.

Daniel didn't notice their weird reaction and continued in his monologue. "Why didn't you respond through the radio?" Sam wanted to say something, but at that moment Daniel noticed the devices. "What is it?" He stepped closer to it in an attempt to touch it when Jack grabbed and stopped him.

"Don't touch it!"

Daniel was surprised by Jack's reaction. "Are you okay, Jack?"

"No, I am not. It seems I made the same mistake as you wanted to do right now and spent the last half an hour captured in that thing."

"Are you kidding me?" Daniel's sceptical tone expressed his disbelief.

"Daniel, it's true. The same thing happened to me," Sam added.

Daniel stared at the device in shock before he began to ask questions. "What exactly happened in that chair? Were you connected with Sam? How are you feeling?"

"Hey, calm down! It was a weird feeling. Something between reality and dream. But I am not going to talk about it right now." Jack's voice was stern and Daniel was discouraged from asking any further questions.

"Okay, but we have to examine them. I see signs that I would like to translate."

"Not now! We have to go back to SGC and talk to Hammond."

"What, why? We can stay a little bit-"

"Daniel, we are leaving, _now_!" He didn't want to discuss it anymore and started to walk towards the Gate, where Teal'c was waiting.

Daniel was following him, but it seemed his determination not to ask questions didn't last very long. "Will you tell us later what happened to you over there?"

Jack, ignoring his question, passed by Sam, who glanced at him. Her look reminded him of their together moments in the darkness. He wanted to keep pressing to find out what had happened in her story.

But now, there was only one question left in his mind.

" _Jesus, what am I going to write to the report?"_


	2. Celebration

Following her team and slowly approaching a village on P4B-113, Sam suddenly froze on the spot. A thought evoking a peculiar sense of insecurity settled in her mind. She looked around herself and couldn't remember how she had gotten there or any details of their current mission.

The last image preserved in her memory was of her team standing in front of the Stargate. No, that wasn't right. There was another memory, a memory of flowers. Colourful flowers.

"Hey, Carter! Everything okay?" Her daydreaming was disturbed by O'Neill. His eyes, covered by sunglasses, were looking in her direction and his posture gave her a subtle sign of his impatience. "We are almost in the village. You don't want to miss the party, do you?" His trademark grin appeared on his face.

"Huh, yeah, Sir. I am fine, just-" Sam didn't want to scare him with the train of her thoughts, so she remained silent. She was probably only jaded after last late-night lab measurements. _"Sam, next time any overwork,"_ she scolded herself.

"Never mind. I am coming, Sir."

She followed him, but she couldn't completely detach herself from the feeling that something was not right.

They entered the village and were met with displays of colorful flowers and various types of good smells.

"Wow," said Jack as he took the sunglasses off and looked at that beauty in amazement.

"It is, indeed, very impressive, O'Neill," said Jaffa observing vibrantly colored trees and houses.

Sam's own wonder brought back memories of Daniel's report from the day before. He had mentioned that the village looked like something from a psychedelic dream. Naturally, it was difficult to imagine what he could have meant, but now seeing the village, she couldn't do anything but agree with him. Special coloured flowers and trees were likely a result of crossbreeding and engineering of the villagers' ancestors, about whom the team didn't have much information. The old texts found by SG13 on their previous mission described them as a highly developed culture that was almost entirely extinct, because of the war with Goa'ulds. Descendants of that race were nowadays living simply and in harmony with nature. However, a few of their technologies had been preserved and villagers were using them for their protection without special or deeper knowledge of them. General Hammond assumed that this trip could be a good opportunity to gain new friends and resources to defend the planet.

Villagers were peaceful and open to the idea of interplanetary cooperation. SG1 had been invited to their annual spring celebration as an act of goodwill.

Sam was surprised by her train of thoughts. However, she didn't have much time to think about the reasons why she was dwelling on the report or her ominous feelings, because of a second interruption by Jack.

"Daniel. What is this party about actually?"

"I already told you at base, Jack," Daniel grumbled, obviously annoyed by Jack's stoic attitude to his reports.

"Ehm, yeah. It's something about...a harvest?" Jack prolonged the last word in an attempt to gain some time, while seeking help from the rest of his team. Daniel's unsatisfied expression confirmed that he had the wrong answer.

"Jesus, Carter, help me!" He turned towards Sam, helpless.

Sam grinned at Colonel's desperation before answering. "Sir, today is the day when the villagers are celebrating fertility." She wasn't sure how she knew the right answer, but it seemed the memories were coming slowly back.

"Thank you, Sam," said Daniel. Sam looked at him and smiled in an answer.

"They are basically paying homage to women. All the food and preparations are done solely by men to express their respect to their women."

"Hm, a nice tradition. Men on Earth could learn quite something." Sam was teasing the present men, who had suddenly very important business with checking their boots.

"So, Daniel." Jack interrupted an awkward silence. "We can expect a baby boom in 9 months, can't we?" His tone suggested he was trying to be funny and he didn't realize how right he was.

"You're right, Jack. They have some kind of orgy later in the evening." Daniel, busy looking for the leader of the village, didn't pay attention to Jack's surprised look.

"What?! And you forgot to mention it earlier, because?"

"Because that event is not going to include us. They assured me that their women are participating in it strictly with the men from the village."

"Oh, really?" Jack sounded very disappointed.

"Oh, God." Sam couldn't hold back her laugh anymore.

"Ah, there he is!" Daniel finally found the chief of the village and walked over to him, leaving the rest of his team behind.

"Teal'c, go with Daniel. Only to be sure that he doesn't cause any problems." Jack was staring at Daniel and his new friend.

Jaffa, nodding with his head tilted slightly to the side, followed Daniel.

"Do you think, is it necessary to be so wary, Sir? They have no intention of betraying us." Sam was always cautious, but even she had to admit that there was nothing threatening in this village.

"Trust, but verify, Carter. Anyway, you know Daniel. He can get into trouble without a lot of effort."

Sam giggled at his inappropriate comment and looked at Daniel as well. Not so far from his position, she noticed an alien device connected to the door.

Jack spotted her glance. "Carter, you should take a break from work and enjoy the party. After all those nights spent in the lab lately, you need a pause." Sam looked at him questioningly.

"Don't look at me like that. Do you think I don't see how you are observing that alien thing on the door? Relax! It's an order."

Sam recognised his words for what they really were: not so much an order but an attempt to prevent her from being overworked. She appreciated his gentle tone and thoughtful approach, however she had to check it out.

"Fine, Sir. But the celebration starts," Sam checked out her watch, "in 30 minutes. I have enough time before your order will be valid." Sam boldly looked at Jack to assure herself that she hadn't crossed the line. To her relief, there was a smirk playing across Jack's lips.

"You have 30 minutes, Major. Then I want to see you standing by my side eating a cake." He briefly paused in his speech. "I hope there will be a cake. Carter?"

The feigned panic in his voice made Sam laugh. "I'm sure there will be plenty of it, Sir."

"Good, good." He waved her away. "You can go to play with your toy." The smile on his face mirrored her own and made her feel very elevated. Her body didn't want to move and she almost forgot about her task, letting her sight sink in his own longer than she wanted.

"Carter?" After a few seconds, Jack broke their connection. "27 minutes," he said, tapping on his watch.

"Oh, yes. I am going to look at that device." With a blush on her cheeks, she left him alone.

As Sam approached the door, she overheard a piece of the conversation between Daniel and the village Chief. The Chief's English wasn't very fluent, but it was good enough to overhear something about a bigger city with a library. She also heard a few notes about security during the evening and previous incidents. However, after reaching the door, she didn't pay much attention to their conversation as she started to focus on the strange device attached to the frame.

Using her energy meter, she realized that around the device was a field of low energy and assumed that it was not yet activated. It had to work wirelessly with the help of an activation console nearby.

Lost in her investigation, Sam lost track of time until a bead of sweat dropped from her hairline and she went to wipe it away. Glancing at her watch, she noticed that the celebration would start in 5 minutes. She hurriedly packed away her meter, looked around for her team and walked over to them in a hurry.

Daniel was talking and eagerly explaining something to Jack.

"...it is a big opportunity to visit their archives, Jack."

"You will miss the celebration." Jack was looking sceptical.

"They celebrate it too. I won't see it from the beginning, but the positives outweigh negatives."

"What is going on Daniel?" Sam joined them at the end of their conversation.

Daniel turned to her, as excited as a small kid. "I am going with Teal'c to the next bigger village. They have archives that I would like to study."

"I didn't say that you _can_ go," expressed Jack.

"Come on Jack!" Daniel was very impatient and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Sam knew that Jack was just playing with Daniel and prolonging his insecurity, so she decided to join Daniel's side. "Actually Sir, I think it is a good idea. Daniel could learn more about the ancestors of those people and bring us new information about their technology."

"Okay, Daniel. Thank Carter. You can go. Teal'c, be careful and let me know if something doesn't go as you planned."

"Thank you Sam, I owe you a beer," said Daniel, waving to them.

"Be careful, boys."

"Your concern is appreciated, Major Carter, but there is no need to worry." Jaffa's slight smile had a calming effect on her. She knew they were able to take care of themself, but it was always better to hear it out loud.

After Daniel, along with Teal'c, said goodbye and left, all of the villagers sat on the pillows and carpets, prepared and laid on the ground for celebration.

Sam wanted to sit next to Jack, but one of the local women grabbed her hand and settled her giggling, to the rest of the women. When she sat comfortably and found Jack, sitting opposite her, she found herself laughing at his expression. All the men around him were trying to speak to him one over the other and he, poor thing, was lost in their alien language. Sam would bet that he was cursing his decision about Daniel's journey to another city.

It went this way for a while until he noticed Sam's smile and that seemed to cheer him up. Sam wanted to express her sympathy with his uneasy situation, but at that moment, her sight was blocked by two village boys that were serving food. One was holding a tray with fruit and vegetables and another one was serving a plate full of small round cakes reminding her of apple pies. Encouraged by the women around her who were already eating their cakes, she took one as well. Its taste was surprisingly refreshing with a bit of lemon flavour. Her last swallow was accompanied by the desire to have another piece, but the boy wasn't in her field of view anymore.

While most of the villagers were eating, drinking and talking, another group of people started to play cheerful music. They played instruments that reminded Sam of flutes, lutes and ocarinas. A number of women and their men stood up and began to dance, while their kids were running and jumping around. She liked the freedom and comfortable environment with which all the people here celebrated and enjoyed their lives.

Sam, full of food and drinks, had to refuse another tasty looking dish and withdrew to the first bathroom that she found. A stream of cold water refreshed her blushing cheeks, however, the feeling of warmth that was spreading through her body didn't slow down. She assumed that some ingredient in the food had to have caused that exaggerated reaction. It seemed appropriate to find Jack and inform him about her suspicion.

As she walked out of the restroom looking around herself, a beautiful flower caught her eye. She had never had a weakness for flowers, but the petals of this one had strong purple coloration, strong enough to make an impression even during the twilight. At the beginning, she didn't want to pluck it from the ground, because she was not sure whether it was some kind of rare species, but as soon as she came closer and saw the meadow behind the house, full of the same flowers, she couldn't resist and took it. Sam smelled of it and enjoyed the very strong, citrusy flavour. It was actually very similar to the cake that she had eaten at the beginning of the celebration.

Her thoughts were abruptly disturbed by the slimy juice that started to flow down her palms, as she held it by its stem. The liquid touching her skin started an unpleasant reaction of burning. Sam dropped the flower as soon as she noticed the pain, but it was too late, the juice was all over her fingers and palms. Fortunately, one of the village women saw Sam's incident and, with help of some gestures, indicated that Sam should follow her.

The house of the older woman was simple, but very cozy. As Sam sat down on the bed, her host took an ointment and carefully spread it on the affected areas. Sam welcomed the cooling effect of the lotion, but her pain was far from gone. After that, the woman took the bandages and without any word, wrapped both of Sam's hands until all her fingers and palms were covered by bandages.

Sam looked at her hands and gave the woman a desperate look. " _How could I work like that?"_ The woman just calmly looked at Sam and smiled at her encouragingly. The smile, in which a few teeth were missing, had a calming effect on her. Positively affected, Sam returned the smile back and pleased so the woman, who took the small package of the ointment and put it to one of Sam's pockets on her vest.

"Thank you," said Sam humbly, wanting to stand up.

The woman seemed to understand and nodded in answer. She gently grabbed Sam's arm and with gestures explained that her condition should get better after the night. Sam decided to trust the woman's advice and expressed her gratitude again, before she left her house.

As Sam came back to the celebration, she realized that many of the women and men were not there anymore and a few of them were sitting around kissing. The official part of the celebration had ended.

" _Where is Colonel?"_ The thought crossed her mind as she was looking around.

Jack appeared behind her back and his sudden voice startled her. "Major, I was looking for you-" He immediately stopped as he noticed Sam's bandaged hands. "Jesus, Carter, what happened?"

"I made a stupid mistake, Sir."

Jack's eyebrows raised up in surprise and expectation of a further explanation.

"I took a flower from the ground and its juice irritated my skin. Fortunately, one of the local women helped me and treated it with ointment."

Jack was looking at her seriously. "We should go back to SGC and inform Doctor Fraiser about your condition."

"It's really not necessary. I am feeling much- I am feeling better, Sir."

Jack didn't seem to be convinced by her words and looked at her doubtfully.

"Sir, really. You don't need to worry. Yes, I still feel pain, but the old lady reassured me that it should be much better after the night." Her mind added, " _Hopefully"_ , but the Colonel didn't need to be aware of her insecurity.

"I swear, tomorrow after the negotiations, I will seek out Janet as soon as possible." Sam tried to soften him with her soothing smile.

"Major, I'm thinking that you shouldn't participate in tomorrow's negotiations and go directly back to SGC in the morning."

"But Sir. I need to talk about-"

Jack didn't let her finish. "That is my last word on the matter, Carter. I really don't want to underestimate your condition. I am already doing you a favor by letting you stay here overnight."

Sam knew that she was not going to win that fight, so she nodded in agreement and involuntarily yawned.

"I think we should go to sleep. Daniel mentioned a house that is prepared for us," said Jack and suddenly froze on spot as he heard a loud moan from one of the houses. "What was that?" he reached automatically for his weapon and looked around.

Sam giggled at his reaction. "I think Sir, we are not in danger. Unless you count horny village women."

"Ah." He lowered his weapon. "I almost forgot about the _climax_ of the celebration." He grinned and chuckled under his breath.

As they made their way to the house, more and more voices, moans and other sounds reached their senses. Sam, walking next to Jack, had to admit that those voices were doing something with her. The weird warmth that she had felt already in the bathroom, was now rising with the increasing sounds of pleasure that were being carried through the air to them. She would never have thought that listening to strangers could build that strong heat within her body, but she couldn't hide the truth from herself. Luckily, it didn't take long before they found their house.

They entered it and realized that it was actually just a small hall with one room, illuminated by lanterns, containing a king-sized bed, desk and cabinet. Next to it was a separate bathroom. It was a humble place, but Sam was grateful for the generosity of their hosts. It was everything that they needed and a big plus was that they had their own bathroom.

When Jack noticed only one bed, he looked over at Sam. "I am going to sleep on the floor, Carter." He moved to the desk and put his weapon on it.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Sir."

"Why not?" asked Jack, glancing at Sam over his shoulder.

"You need to get a good sleep for tomorrow's negotiation. No offence Colonel, but you know yourself. Without proper sleep, you act…"

Already turned towards Sam, Jack interrupted her with a grin on his face. "Like a pain in the ass? I guess you're right, Carter."

"I wanted to say _less charming_ ," said Sam, returning him a smile.

"However, it doesn't change our situation, because I am not letting _you_ sleep on the floor."

"It's not necessary. Look at the bed. It's even bigger than I have at home. We both can sleep on our own side of the bed."

Jack looked at her and then to the bed, trying to evaluate the situation. "Okay, I _guess_ we can." He looked around himself until his gaze rested on the lanterns. "Maybe we should turn off the lanterns to have a bit more, ehm, discretion." He started to move around the room, turning off the lanterns until there was just one left.

"I think Sir, we should keep this one turned on. In the case that we need to go to the bathroom or something..." Her voice trailed off.

"We could take our flashlights, Carter."

"You could, but it is not possible for me in my condition."

"Ah crap, I am always forgetting about it. Sorry."

"Never mind. It's o-" Sam paused as she noticed a faint bluish light coming from the hall. "Do you see that, Sir? The blue light over there?" She pointed with her bandaged hand towards that phenomenon. She stepped forward, however Jack stopped and overtook her with a gun in his hand.

The light was coming from a similar device to the one that Sam had observed earlier.

She joined Jack in the hall and looked properly at the device. "Sir, can you touch the door?"

Jack glanced at her quickly and nodded in confirmation. His hand moved closer to the surface of the door the device was attached to, but at the moment when it should have touched it, it encountered a blue barrier that appeared just under Jack's touch and then disappeared again.

"Carter?"

"I thought so," Sam murmured to herself.

"Carter?" He turned back from the door.

"It's a shield. The device wasn't on while I was studying it, but now it makes sense."

"Not to _me._ " Jack seemed to be confused.

"I overheard the talk between Daniel and the Chief in that they mentioned some sort of protection during the evening. I assume they meant this." She pointed her head to the door.

"Protection? I don't get it, Carter."

"I think it would be better to ask Daniel. I didn't hear much of their conversation. Do you think you could reach him by radio?"

Jack went back to the room and Sam followed him as he began to speak. "Teal'c, Daniel, do you hear me?"

"O'Neill, I hear you very clearly," Teal'c responded.

"Hi, T. Is everything okay over there? Did you have fun?"

Teal'c had fallen silent for a few seconds before his stoic voice resonated from the radio. "My Kelno'reem has been disturbed several times." He paused again and Jack and Sam exchanged puzzled looks.

"Was it because of the sounds from outside, Teal'c?" Sam tried to suppress her laugh as she imagined Teal'c in his situation.

"If you mean sounds of intercourse, then you are correct, Major Carter."

"T, just one word- earplugs." Jack and Sam were grinning.

"O'Neill, your help is very appreciated."

"Give me Daniel please, we need to talk to him."

"Oh, hi Jack. Is there a problem?"

"Hm, yes, Daniel. You forgot to tell us about the shield on the door of our house."

"To be honest, I didn't know that your house would also be protected, but it seems they have it on every door."

"How can we turn it off?"

"You can not. It is set to be on until-" Daniel paused as he was thinking," I think until 2-3 o'clock in the morning. I don't remember exactly what the Chief said."

"Great. Why are we even locked in? There is nobody who could threaten us."

"As I told you. After the celebration, it is normal in their culture to have orgies. Women eat a specific cake that should increase their appetency and if they don't take a special antidote during the celebration, they can be very...demanding. With the shield on the door they stay locked with their men and couldn't _bother_ other people."

" _Jesus, that cake."_ Sam finally understood her feelings. She didn't want Jack to notice her panic so she stepped back into the hall and pretended that she was examining the device.

"Is there something else that you didn't tell us and we should know it?" Sam heard the irritation in Jack's voice.

"No, Jack. Teal'c found the earplugs and is performing his Kelno'reem and I am going to sleep. Did you want to ask something else?"

"No, that was everything. Good night."

"Good night also to Sam." Sam smiled when she heard Daniel's wish.

Now that the call was over and she couldn't be more distracted by it, her mind focused even more on the heat inside her. Especially when she heard Jack's zipper on his trousers sliding down.

"Carter, I hope you didn't eat that cake." Laughing at his own joke, Jack took his pants off and put them to the rest of his clothes on the table.

"W-what did you say, Sir? I didn't hear you." Sam pretended to not hear and to her big relief, Jack didn't continue with the teasing.

"Nothing important, Major."

Sam came back to the room and found Jack standing in just his boxers and black T-shirt. Dimmed light strengthened the attractivity of his body.

"I will wait in the hall while you change your clothes." Jack went to leave the room, but Sam stopped him.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I think I need your help," said Sam and looked down at her bandaged hands.

She heard how Jack took a deep breath. "Of course Major." He stepped closer to her. Their gaze met as he touched the zipper on her jacket and started to slide it down. Jack didn't rush his movement and Sam could swear that he was doing it on purpose. Not that she didn't enjoy it, but his slow movements were surprising. Their eye connection lasted until he successfully opened her jacket and went around her to help her with taking it off. Then he kneeled in front of her and untied the snorkels on her boots. Sam had to admit two things. One was that it was really unusual to see him kneeling like that and the other that it was weirdly pleasant. His role of the dominant man within a group was suppressed and the more hidden, caring side of his nature was opening up in front of her. Jack suddenly looked up at her and caught her stare. Before Sam shyly looked away, she noticed a faint grin on his face.

"You can take off your shoes, Carter."

While she was getting out of them, he stood up, prepared to continue. When her shoes were standing nicely next to the bed, she regretted her selection of the socks.

"I didn't know you like pugs, Major," said Jack smiling, while he was looking down on her colourful socks full of dogs.

"Ehm, yes, they are my special socks. You know, it was a laundry day and-"

"You don't need to explain it to me, Carter." Jack found her eyes again. "Honestly, they suit you."

His pure reaction relieved her tension and made her smile at him. The connection of their eyes lasted for a few more seconds until she got distracted by Jack's fingers that were touching and opening her belt. The pressure around her waist loosened and she took a deep breath. As the zipper on her trousers slid down, Sam involuntarily sighed under the feelings that were building up inside her whole night. At the sound, Jack curiously looked up from her zipper to her face and she was grateful for the dimmed light in the room that hid her blushing cheeks.

"It's okay," she answered to his unspoken question.

The belt was opened and the zipper was down. There was just one last thing that had to be done. Jack placed his hands on her hips, gently grabbed the sides of her trousers and looked at Sam with the raised eyebrows. Sam nervously nodded with a fast beating heart. Jack took her nod as an answer and pulled her trousers slowly down until they slided to her ankles.

Jack, standing next to Sam, broke their look and glanced quickly down.

"No pugs?" His voice sounded almost disappointed.

"Is that disappointing?" asked Sam, halfly ashamed and halfly amused.

"You know, me and dogs. I really like to pet them," said Jack grinning back at her face.

" _Christ, is he flirting with me?"_ Sam didn't need more encouragement. She was already barely holding back.

"What now, Carter?"

"I-I think we should go to sleep, Sir." She was out of sorts by his question.

"Ehm, yes. You're right." He stood up a bit further from her, but still facing her. Despite twilight in the room, Sam could have seen how his look slid from her eyes down her upper body, clothed in a low-cut black T-shirt, then her grey underwear with a lace around the edges to her socks.

Something in his look made her shiver in desire and she couldn't help but notice that his gaze lingered on her breasts as he looked back up at her. After a slight smirk on his face, he turned around and sat on the bed. She looked at her breasts as well to see what amused him. Her nipples were erected under the thin cloth of her T-shirt. _"Great"_

Sam needed to hide her body and desire under the blanket. She sat on the other side of the bed and tried to move the blanket with one of her bandaged hands. Sharp pain ran from her palm to her shoulder and made her sigh painfully.

"Easy, Carter. Leave it to me." Jack, after he noticed Sam's pain, ran around the bed and took the blanket into his hands.

"Lie down." He covered her body with a soft, but thin blanket and smiled at her. "Better?"

"Thank you, Sir."

"Good night, Carter," said Jack, as he came back to his side of the bed and threw the blanket over his body.

"Good night." She was sure that her night would be everything, but good. The desire within her was burning, but her body was shaking from cold. She curled to one side and tried to keep the warmth around her. Eventually, her sighs evoked an interest in Jack.

"Carter, everything's okay?"

"I'm freezing, Sir."

"Maybe you have a fever from your injury," said Jack as he moved closer to her.

_"I don't think so,"_ thought Sam. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Could you-maybe...," she sighed, "never mind."

"Major?"

With a deep breath in, Sam asked, "Could you come a bit closer?"

He didn't answer, but she felt how the heat from his body warmed her skin as he moved closer. Jack wasn't directly touching her, however his presence under the single blanket, was visible.

"Thank you." His warmth helped her to relax a bit more. She hoped that it would also help against the pressure that she felt inside her, but frankly, the persistent feeling of arousal was not leaving her mind nor her body. The waves of desire were running through her in shorter intervals and with increased strength. It was starting to become difficult to stay quiet as each one was leaving her more unprepared for the next. She bit her lip and couldn't hold back the reactions of her body. Her clit was pulsating and she was desperate for touch. However, her CO was lying next to her and her hands were unable to provide the satisfaction that she needed. She tried to touch herself, but the pain in her palms surpassed the enjoyment.

Lying on the pillow, shared with Jack, she could feel his breath on her neck. She hoped that at least he could fall asleep, but the warm air coming from his mouth was saying something else. His breathing was fast and she could have sworn that one or two times, he'd shifted forward to touch her hair. The thought of how close he was made her shiver and a quiet sigh escaped her lips.

"Carter? Are you okay?"

Sam didn't answer immediately, because she was trying to hold back her feelings. She was biting her lip and even pressed her palms against the body to feel pain instead of desire. It helped for a few seconds, but not for long. It didn't help that she could still hear the villagers outside, and every sigh, moan and groan was decreasing her own will to fight against the feelings that were overwhelming her body.

"No, Sir."

"What's going on? Are you still cold? Should I come closer?" He didn't wait on her answer and pushed his chest against her back.

He was not helping her to control herself. His chest was really warm despite his T-shirt and that sudden close feeling of his body made her moan again. She felt embarrassed and bit her lip painfully as she closed her eyes.

"No, Sir. I-I have to tell you something."

"Jesus, Carter, say it."

"I had a piece of cake."

"You had the cake and now what? You were pretty lucky. I also wanted one, but they said that it was only for wom-" Jack paused in a realisation. "Oh, you had _the_ cake."

Breathing deeply, Sam remained silent.

"How are you feeling?" asked Jack carefully.

"I can't say okay." Sam was fighting with her shame, but she needed to tell him the truth.

Jack moved his hand and looked at the watch. "It's 1:00. Could you wait 2 more hours, until the door is unlocked?" She heard a bit of worry in his voice.

"I will try to."

"Okay, okay, good. Jesus, when will they finally shut up?!"

Sam had to giggle, because it was obvious that he didn't know what to say or do in their situation. After the burst of frustration from Jack, both of them were lying silently, trying to ignore the provoking voices from other houses.

"What time is it, Sir?"

"1:12."

"Jesus." Her desperate voice mirrored her frustration. It seemed like an eternity had passed and not like _just_ 12 minutes.

"Carter?" Jack tried to calm his voice down, but Sam heard the signs of restlessness.

"It's difficult, Sir. I don't think I will be able to wait 2 more hours." She couldn't hold back her desperation anymore.

Jack sat up on the bed. "Okay, Carter. So, ehm, I will wait in the hall and you can- you know."

"Sir," she interrupted him as he made to leave the bed. As Jack heard the urgency in her voice, his face showed nothing else other than concern. He returned back to his seat on the bed, waiting on Sam's next words.

Sam sobbed silently under the weight of the feelings that she couldn't suppress any longer. "My hands, Sir. I-" She took a deep breath. "I tried it, but it's not working." She turned on the bed in an attempt to look at him. His face was hidden in the shadow, so she couldn't see if he understood the meaning of her words. The moment of silence was longer than she would have wished for, so she hopelessly turned back again.

Sam, busy holding back her urge to touch herself, didn't notice that Jack lay back down next to her, until his unusually soft whisper brushed past her ear.

"Don't be afraid, it's me." He came closer and touched her back with his chest. Despite his warning, Sam's body didn't expect the touch and shook in surprise. "Relax, Carter."

Sam nodded and tried to calm down as much as it was possible in her situation. It was a poor attempt. Her tense body didn't convince him.

"Carter." Jack placed his hand on her arm. "Relax, that's an order!" Lying right behind her, his words vibrated the air next to her neck and sent shivers along her body.

"Okay, Sir," she exhaled heavily. Her tightly closed eyes opened and her muscles softened under his touch. Instead of thinking about the hardly bearable heat inside her, she focused her senses on the warm touch of his palm on her skin.

He took a deep breath. "Carter, you don't need to say anything. I understand." Sam didn't have time to think about his words before he gently squeezed her arm and pulled himself to her body. His fully grown erection contained by his underwear, rested against her butt.

In response to the feeling of his groin pressing her, she quietly moaned and pushed her butt back against him. His grip tightened. Jack placed himself so close that his lips were softly touching Sam's neck and every breath or word was pleasantly irritating her. Jack's hand loosened its grasp and lightly caressed her shoulder to her elbow. His fingertips continued without hesitation to her hips where they rested. He moved slightly away from her and indicated Sam to move on her back. As she did it, his warm palm found her arm and started to caress her again. Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Despite the heat that was building more and more within her, she tried to enjoy his attempts of distraction.

His palm slid from her arm, down her waist and rested on her thigh. Jack hesitated for a few moments until he gently pushed her leg to the side to caress the inner side of her leg. Sam was very sensitive and even a light touch of his fingers made her shiver, causing the muscles to twitch. Jack stopped for a second and looked down at Sam, who met his gaze as she tried to catch her breath. Without turning away from her, he skimmed his fingers across her skin again and sent a chill down her bit her lip in a desire and gave Jack an impatient glare. He was just teasing her and from his mysterious smile, he was enjoying it. He leaned down until his mouth found Sam's ear.

"Everything's ok, Major? You seem impatient."

His cheeky mood was driving her crazy. Sam tilted her head to the side to let it be exposed to Jack's warm breath. She whispered a barely noticeable "Sir", when Jack's lips found her skin and kissed her softly. Her breathing started to rise again and her muscles twitched under Jack's passionate grasp that followed his kiss. His groin thrusted against the side of her leg and she noticed that his own arousal hadn't weakened. His firm touch loosened and his fingers finally found her panties. He groaned as he felt her warmth and with other hand, pushed her leg more aside to gain better access.

"Jesus Carter. How long have you been like _this_?" His whisper wavered in an attempt to hold himself back.

Sam feeling embarrassed of her own desire being exposed to him, took a deep breath. "Several hours, Sir."

She heard the curse that he whispered as he kissed her neck again, more passionately this time. He'd finally realized how serious her condition was and how desperately she needed him. His still fingers, placed on her lap, started to move until they found the waistband of her panties and slid under it. As Sam felt his finger finally reach her clit, she pressed up against it automatically. Her movement triggered Jack's own impatience, and he rolled his hips, rubbing his erection against her leg. His movements got faster and her sighs became less controllable.

"Carter, let it out. Don't control yourself." He paused briefly. "Look at me-"

She heard a light sign of embarrassment in his voice and she knew what he meant. His vocal expression was everything, but not silent. The last thing that Sam wanted was him to feel uncomfortable, therefore she nodded and with the next touch, she let her moan escape her lungs in a passion. Her sounds were making Jack more demanding and desirous.

She shifted up into his hand and Jack's finger slipped inside her.

"Christ." Jack gently bit Sam's neck and slid his finger deeper. Sam lifted her butt a bit more and thrusted against him. Her body arched under his touch in a way to provide the best connection. "Carter," she heard him whisper between his impatient sighs. Then his finger slipped out and she found him changing the position.

"Jesus, c´mere." He was suddenly between her legs, grabbing them and placing them around his waist. She wrapped her legs around him, pushing herself up to his erection. Both of them had their underwear still on, but the feeling of his own desire so close to her was enough in the moment. It appeared that he felt the same way.

Suddenly, their proximity was disturbed by a soft click that came from the door. Sam saw that the device was not active anymore and it meant that she was free to go and take an antidote. Jack obviously came to the same realisation and looked at her questioningly. His hands squeezed her softly and she knew that it was no longer _only_ about her. Sam decided to tighten her grip around him, silently signaling that she wanted to continue.

"Daniel was wrong about the time," said Jack with an unusually shaky voice.

He leaned over her until their lips almost touched. Sam was desperate to taste his lips, but she wasn't sure if he wanted it too, aware of their difference in rank.

Instead of moving into a kiss, Jack was just looking into her eyes. It seemed he was also thinking about the next move to make when he unexpectedly thrusted against her. Her blushy cheeks and muffled moan made him smile. Sam, biting her lip, gave him the same smile and even a giggle. He was visibly enjoying their proximity and she finally didn't feel awkward anymore. She turned her head to the side and tightened the grasp of her legs around his body to let him know that she was ready. Her neck was left at the mercy to his kisses and whispers.

"I hope I can last long enough to…" muffled Jack to her skin. He leaned back to look at her and both giggled at the absurdity of their situation.

He didn't wait for her response and started to rub against her with his still-trapped erection. One of his hands found her breast and ran over her erect nipple.

"Jack." Sam couldn't hold herself back and whispered his name almost inaudibly. She was melting under his touch and experiencing chills all over her body at the same time. His demanding petting was the last thing that she needed to be satisfied. She buried her head into the pillow and his thrusts against her became faster. "Sir, I will be soo-"

Jack stopped, wanting to prolong the moment of their intimacy. "Yes, Carter?" He was looking to her eyes again and a mischievous grin appeared on his lips. "Do you want to say something?" Still, without a movement, playing with her, kissed her neck.

Sam, surprised, moaned in displeasure. She was so close. She tried to rub herself against him, but his lap moved away from her, so she didn't get what she wanted.

"Easy, Major," he whispered to her ear and finally rubbed his cock against her again.

"Jesus," moaned Sam, when he hit her sensitive spot. Her body twitched and wanted more.

"No, it's just me, Carter- O'Neill." His words were interrupted by his moans every time they moved together. It was so stupid, but she had to giggle. Clenching her legs around him, moaning against his ear and giggling at his stupid joke.

His finger found a position back on her nipple. She moaned his name between the touches before he stopped again.

"Sir!" Her voice was stricter than she intended. Her reaction had, however, an opposite effect on him, as she wanted. Jack smiled wildly and gently caressed her cheek.

"Okay, okay," he muttered under his breath quietly. He lay himself back down on her and this time set a very different approach. His movements were slow and deliberate, waiting on Sam's commands.

"Faster," whispered Sam, moving with him in perfect harmony. "More, _please_."

Jack's hands were shaking and his voice wavered as he whispered, "Sam."

Hearing her name, she clenched her legs tighter around his waist and, for the last time, rubbed herself against him. The feeling that ran through her body in the aftermath was relieving, leaving her breathless and giggling.

Jack thrusted a few more times and cried out as he came in his shorts. Heavily breathing, he stopped his movement and placed his head on Sam's breasts. Her heartbeat was slowly coming back to normal when Jack looked up at her.

"Are you feeling better, Major?"

"Much better, Sir."

"I would bet." He couldn't hide his smile anymore.

"Thank you," whispered Sam softly. "When I can say something, Sir. I would never believe that you could be so…"

"Playful?" Jack O'Neill's signature grin had returned to his face.

Amused, Sam just nodded.

"What if I tell you that it was because of me and not because of you."

Sam hadn't thought about it before, but now it would make sense. He needed to make a pause to last longer.

"But I can't say that I didn't enjoy your reactions." He stood up and left her with a surprised smile.

Observing the door, Jack moved the handle and let it open slightly. "Yep, it seems Daniel mixed up the time when the shield turns off." After a short pause, he continued, "Not that I complain."

Sam came to Jack and smiled at him widely. "Neither do I." Then she pushed the door with her hand, realizing that she didn't feel pain anymore.

"Sir, can you help me with the bandages?" When Jack removed them, she noticed that her skin wasn't irritated anymore and all the pain was gone.

"The old lady said that it will go away after the night." Sam was thinking aloud.

"Maybe it wasn't the ointment that helped you," teased Jack, boldly.

"Maybe." Blushing, Sam quickly glanced at Jack and was relieved when she saw him smiling.

The light shined in through the opened door. _"In the night?"_ Sam wondered.

She opened the door properly and went outside. Looking around, she didn't recognise her surroundings but eventually, approached a meadow full of _the_ flowers.

"Sir, I remember those flowe- Sir?" Sam looked around her, but she couldn't find him. She was alone.

In the distance, she saw two objects and she approached them. Coming closer, she realized that Jack was sitting in one of the objects, and in the other, sat herself.

"What the heck is-" she whispered, voice fading in her confusion. She touched herself in that device and found herself switching places, now looking out from the chair. Jack was standing next to the device and was looking at her. At that moment, a crazy idea ran through her mind.

_"It happened in my head."_

As she unplugged the electrodes, an unknown voice suddenly resonated in her mind.

"Ultorians are thankful for your transmission."

_"Ultorians?"_

"Carter. Are you okay?" asked Jack, softly.

"Yes. And you, Sir?

"Me too. Did you hear that message? What does it mean?"

"I have no idea. We'll have to ask Daniel." She stepped out of the device unable to look directly at Jack. She felt embarrassed at the realisation that her experiences hadn't been real.

"Yeah. By the way, it's nice to finally see the sun after all the darkness, don't you think?"

"Darkness, Sir?" Sam was confused.

"In that stuffy room without windows and drugs in the air." Jack raised his eyebrows.

"I am sorry, Sir. I don't know what you are talking about." _"Christ, did he have another experience?"_

"Carter? You were with me the whole time and you don't remember it?" In that question, she felt like she was missing something. The insecurity in Jack's voice was mirroring her own feelings.

"I remember _you_ , Sir. But we were somewhere else." Sam had to look at him finally, to see his reaction. She couldn't hide her blushing cheeks and uncomfortable feeling.

"What happened to you, Carter?"

She was prepared to answer, but Daniel came to them and interrupted their conversation. The news that they had been unavailable for half an hour stunned her and made her think more about her experiences. After Daniel's attempt to touch the device and Colonel's straightforward approach to the situation, she found herself walking towards the Stargate in an absent-minded daze. One thing was clear - she had to take a better look at those devices.

Sam glanced at Jack, walking next to her, and found him looking directly at her. The question in his eyes was demanding, but she couldn't blame him. She wanted to know as well, what happened in his story.


	3. Revelation

It had been several days since the alien devices from P4T-857 were brought to Stargate Command. After their return, General Hammond gave SG1 a few days of holiday, but Sam decided to stay behind and take a better look at those chairs. Daniel volunteered to help her with translation and she was grateful for that. Without his help, it would have been really difficult to get into it so fast. In the end, she was content with the information that they had obtained by studying the Ultorian's technology and the old texts found in the memory of the chairs.

"Hey, Carter. How are you doing?" Jack entered Sam's lab with a wide smile on his lips.

"Hi, Sir. How was the fishing?" She was very glad to see him happy. Their last mission was...different and she knew that both of them needed a pause. However, her vision of relaxation was to work.

"You know Major. Sun, sun, sun and especially sun." His desire for fresh air and sunlight after being locked in a darkness was understandable.

After they had returned from P4T-857, Jack visited her in the lab and asked about her version of the story. She'd told him almost everything, of course, without the events that happened in the house. Then he'd told her his version, but she was sure that he had kept something from her as well. Sam was desperate to know more, especially when it was her who was involved in his story, but she didn't want to cross the line.

"Don't tell me Carter that you've been working all this time." Jack, putting his hands into the pockets, raised his eyebrows.

"You know me, Sir," said Sam, amused by his look.

"You refused my invitation because of that? Carter, you are a lost case." Jack was smiling and she knew that he was teasing her. To be honest, she had made the right decision. After that incident in the house, it would have been difficult for her to stay with him alone. "Maybe next time?"

"I'll take your word for it, Carter." Jack said.

"Hey, Jack. I didn't know that you were back." Daniel walked into Sam's lab with Teal'c by his side.

"Welcome back, O'Neill. I hope you have rested sufficiently." Teal'c moved over to stand next to Sam with his arms behind his back.

Jack nodded in a greeting. "I've heard you made progress while I wasn't here."

"Indeed. Major Carter and Daniel Jackson spent a lot of time translating." Jaffa's statement was calm as usual.

"What did you do, T?"

"After being convinced that I was not needed in a process of translation, I paid a visit to Bra'tac."

"So at least _you_ had a good time, T," said Jack bluntly, making Sam grin at his cheekiness.

"I know it's hard to believe Jack, but we had a great time with Sam," responded Daniel slightly offended. "What about you, did you catch a fish?"

Daniel knew he'd hit a sore spot and Sam had to hide her smile. It was well known that Jack had never caught a fish.

"Ehm," Jack cleared his throat, "you know, fishing is not primarily about... _fishing_ , Daniel." He paused briefly and quickly continued, "Tell me rather, what did you learn from that thing."

"Okay, so. The civilization that made those devices called itself Ultorians," started Daniel.

"Oh, don't you say," teased him Jack. "I want a shorter version, _please_."

Daniel rolled his eyes and continued. "They were travelers like us, but on a higher technological level. Inside of the chair we found a record of plague that was brought to their world from another planet. It had claimed many lives until they found a cure." Daniel was in his element, eagerly immersed in the story.

"Oh, happy ending. Great," interrupted Jack.

"Hardly," said Daniel, not letting himself be distracted by Jack's teasing. "Although they found a cure, they didn't predict certain side effects from it. The medicine made them lose their feelings." Daniel made a dramatic pause and it pleased him when he saw Jack's surprised reaction.

"Or precisely, almost lose all of their feelings. They were not able to feel basic emotions as happiness or joy and, after some time, many of them committed suicide from depression. However, there was a group of people that were immune to those side effects and they were chosen to help the affected group."

"Help them? How?" Jack was listening carefully.

"Those chairs were created and the people who could feel emotions, _the donors_ , were captured in the virtual realities. Hmm, captured is not a good word. They _wanted_ to help their community. At least at the beginning. Those devices were made to create a reality, where they could feel deep emotions such as happiness, anger, lust or desire…" Sam involuntarily looked at Jack and he did the same. Their look lasted only a second, but it was enough to make her blush. "...and those emotions were stored for those people who couldn't manage to create their own feelings, _the recipients_. It worked pretty well at the beginning, but after some time the donors refused to continue."

Jack raised his eyebrows.

Daniel continued, "You need to understand, they had to spend hours and hours in those devices to be able to fill crystals for thousands and thousands of people. In addition, the recipients started to have higher tolerance and they needed new emotions more often. The donors started losing control over their own lives and, due to wanting to keep hold of their personal happiness, they slowly left the planet. After their departure, there was not so much left in the records and we can just assume that the rest of Ultorians just died or travelled to other planets."

"Oh. No happy ending then," said Jack quietly.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c.

"SG-11 found ruins of their city and a few of those chairs, but they seemed to be broken. It can be that the last working pieces of Ultorian's technology are now here, in SGC," said Sam, taking over their conversation to a scientific level.

Jack rubbed his face with his palm and sighed under the onslaught of a big load of information.

"Ok, Carter. Now explain to me, how is it possible that we were sucked into those things? We are not their...donators."

"Donors. We could be, Sir. Their physiology was very similar to ours and you saw that we were compatible with their technology." She briefly glanced at him before she continued. "The chairs didn't suck us in, in fact, we _ourselves_ connected our bodies to them."

"No, Carter. I would never connect myself to _it_."

"Yes, you did, even if you don't realize it, Sir."

"Explain it, Carter."

"After better examination of those devices, I found a capsule of a gas that activates when the chair registers a living organism nearby. That gas acts at the beginning as an attractant - you sit inside and connect the electrodes to your body - and then like a weak sedative. That's why we don't remember it."

Jack looked at Sam then at the alien chairs and then back to Sam. "I hope you deactivated those capsules." The insecurity in his voice was very easily detectable.

"Yes, but…" Sam was distracted by a new voice that appeared in the room.

"Ehm, I am sorry to interrupt, Sir."

"Yes, Walter?" asked Jack, turning on his chair towards the sergeant.

"General Hammond wants to talk to you."

"Ah crap, I totally forgot. I'm coming." Jack stood up and, almost outside of the lab, shouted back, "Carter, we will talk later."

After Jack was gone, Teal'c prompted, "Major Carter, you can continue." "Ah, yes Teal'c. So, I did remove one capsule from the first chair, but I had problems with the second one. It's stuck. I need to ask Siler to help me with it." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, I'm sorry. I totally lost track of time. Can you excuse me? I need to do some more simulations."

"Don't work long, Sam." Daniel and Teal'c left her and she sat behind the computer.

"Hey Carter, I'm- Carter?" Jack looked around him in an intention to find his second in command, but she wasn't there, in her lab. "Great." He sighed loudly in discontent.

"Okay, what do we have here?" He was walking around the table with Sam's equipment, touching it lightly. He glanced at the electrodes and a crystal placed on the table and didn't notice that he'd come very close to the Ultorian's chairs. He touched one, just to read a note that was placed on it. As he took the paper to the hand, a very pleasant smell reached his senses. Searching for the source of it, he came closer to the chair and the next thing that he saw was himself. He was looking at Jack O'Neill in sunglasses standing somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

" _What the heck?!"_ The second Jack was standing not far from his position and was impatiently waiting on him.

"Hey, Carter! Everything okay?" Jack's voice sounded around him.

" _Carter? Carter?! What is going on? What...oh, for Christ sakes! I am inside her body. I feel it. I feel her emotions. I feel her!"_

* * *

_"That was weird and crazy and Jesus, so hot."_ Jack removed the electrodes from his head as fast as it was possible and almost jumped out of the chair.

"Crap, I thought it was turned off!" He looked around him to make himself sure that nobody had seen him in that delicate moment of distraction, especially Carter. Fortunately, he was still alone. Holding a side of the table, he cursed and took a deep breath. He didn't believe what just happened. He was there, he was _her_ and the feelings that she felt were so strong. "Jesus," he mumbled. Slowly passing by Sam's tools and devices, he thought of only one thing. He needed to take a shower. Cold shower.

Jack was almost outside of Sam's lab when she bumped into him. "Oh Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were here."

"No-nothing happened, Carter." Jack held her shoulder and gained his balance back. "I will come later," he said hastily.

"What do you-"

"I will come later, Carter," shouted Jack, almost running towards the showers.

"Hmm, weird," thought Sam as he passed by her. But as soon as she came to her lab, one detail caught her attention. She found the note "Don't come closer" lying on the floor. She was sure she put it on the chair. The note itself reminded her that she needed to call Siler.

It didn't take long until Siler knocked on the door of her lab. "Do you need my help, Major Carter?" asked Sergeant, his tone friendly.

"Yes, I need to take out the capsule and the memory crystal of that device." She pointed her finger at the alien chair. "Did you bring a gas mask with you, as I told you?" She didn't want Siler to end up captured.

Siler put on the mask after Sam gave him the instructions and got to work. After several minutes of observing him from a safe distance, a telephone in her lab rang.

"Carter on the phone," replied Sam. "Yes, Sir. Yes, he is working on it right now... I understand."

She was listening carefully to General's voice when Siler entered the conversation. "Major, I'm done."

"Ah great, Sergeant. That was fast. Please put that crystal on my table and take the capsule to Janet. She wanted to examine the substance more carefully." She paused briefly. "Ah, and General Hammond needs you in the Control room."

When Siler nodded and said goodbye, she drew her attention back to the call. "General? Siler just left... yes, yes... I will report to you as soon as I have new information… Thank you, Sir." Sam hung up with a smile on her face. The eagerness to examine the crystals completely engulfed her. She sat on her chair and woke her computer up by pressing a button. She'd already written a basic program that she wanted to connect with the program written on the crystal, all she had to do was to write a few of the suborders and she would be ready to test it. Sam was sure it was possible to enter the crystal without being controlled by it and she wanted to prove it.

"Okay, here we have the crystal from my… oh." She remained stunned as her sight fell on two crystals laying on the table. Siler had put the crystal next to the one that was already there and she didn't know which one was from her chair and which one from the Colonel's. After a few seconds of insecurity, she chose one that she was convinced was from hers. Despite her curiosity about what had happened in his version of reality, she didn't want to infiltrate his privacy. It was safer to work with her own memories.

After Sam wrote the last line of the program, she connected the computer and crystal with the cables and put it back into the chair. She confidently sat in it and attached the electrodes to her head and skin. Now she had to wait a few more seconds until the program started to work. As she lost consciousness, her body relaxed and the crystal inserted in the device started to emit light.

" _Now it should work,"_ thought Sam in the darkness _. "Why don't I see anything? There should be the village and…"_ She felt herself move across the ground, but she wasn't in control of the movement. Then she heard his voice, she felt his insecurity, she was inside him.

_"Oh, crap."_

* * *

_"Ah, Jack_."

She just woke up after she had the craziest dream ever. Jesus, it was not a dream. It was _his_ story.

Sam immediately unplugged the electrodes from her head and ran her palms over her hair. Her hands were shaking and her breath was shallow. She needed to calm down and get rid of the pressure that was building inside her body.

" _Water. I need water."_ She decided to visit a restroom where cold water did its job. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she still couldn't believe what had just happened. The absence of light and a weird drug in the air had intensified the feelings felt by Jack. She wasn't able to move or control his body; she was left at the mercy of his long-suppressed emotions. She was a recipient. Sam felt everything that Jack felt and the idea that his feelings were caused by her, by virtual Sam, made her experience those emotions stronger than she would have imagined.

Holding sides of the sink, she slowly regained her peace and when her cheeks started to lose the intense coloration, she decided to return to the lab. The halls were quiet and she realized that most of the SGC's staff was probably at home.

" _Another one of the long nights, isn't it?_ " a tiny, little voice whispered in her mind. Sam made a promise to herself that she would relax more, but this time her own comfort didn't matter. She needed to find the mistake, the line of the program, the cause that allowed her to break into _his_ privacy.

She made a fresh cup of coffee. The smell of it made her always feel stronger and helped her to concentrate better on the studied subject. It strengthened her determination to work overtime and sometimes even gave her a brilliant idea. Like this time. She was surprised how fast she was able to find the missing piece of puzzle and she scolded herself for her previous oversight.

Her next attempt of using the chair came out successful. Sam was able to enter the crystal without being controlled by it. She was back in the black room, but without Jack or second Sam. She visited the village from her dream as well, however this time without the audience. She had time to explore the virtual environment and change a few of the settings inside.

It was the time to write the last adjustments when a knock on the door woke her up from her thoughts.

"Knock, knock, Carter. I knew I would find you here," teased Jack.

"Oh, Sir, hi." Looking at him, she felt out of sorts. Fragments of feelings experienced not so long ago were crawling back into her mind and it was difficult to stand in front of him poker faced.

"Carter?" Jack was waiting in the door with his hands folded across his chest.

"Sorry, Sir. I- I was working on-"

"Crystals, I see," Jack came to her and looked at the table. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Late, I know. Why are _you_ still at the base, Sir?"

"I didn't feel like going home today."

"How so?"

"Just the feeling." He said it too fast to be true and Sam felt that he was hiding something. "Anyway, did you find something interes… something not too scientific to be _easily_ explained?"

"Yes, Sir." Sam, filled with excitement, successfully suppressed the uneasy feelings that were bothering her. "I found so many interesting things, Sir. Here, sit down." She pushed another chair towards him. "I need to write a few more lines and I can explain everything. Just a few more minutes."

Jack sat next to her. Finally, there was a quiet moment when he was able to look at her without being observed. The slight smile on her lips while she was immersed in the work, reminded him of the feelings that he felt when he had the experience within her vision. Her passion about science that he had never truly understood, now made perfect sense. She loved it and he loved that it made her happy. His eyes skipped to her hands that were gently, but decisively tapping on the keyboard, the hands that were injured, bound, that made her feel pain. Made _him_ feel her pain, the pain that opened the way for them to come closer to each other.

"Done, Sir." Her voice broke the train of his thoughts.

He cleared his throat. "So Carter, what did you want to show me?"

"I was successful," said Sam with a smile on her lips.

"I would never doubt it," teased her Jack, smiling.

"Sir." She looked at him, flattered. "I managed to get into the crystal, into virtual reality, intoourdreams." In her enthusiasm, she said it so fast that Jack had a problem with distinguishing her words.

"Calm down, calm down, Carter. One more time."

"I entered our dreams," repeated Sam clearly.

"You entered _our_ dreams?" Drops of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Ah, yes," her voice wavered for a second. "I mean, I wrote a proper program that could connect our equipment with the crystal and I appeared in the black empty room. I- I assumed, it was the place where your dream was situated." She technically didn't lie. She did write a program and in the end, she was finally able to enter his dream. It wasn't necessary to acquaint him with the details that happened before.

"Oh, yes, I would think so," said Jack with a big relief.

"And I found some kind of exit mechanism there."

"Exit mechanism?"

"Yes. The same thing I found in my crystal. This is what I wanted to show you."

"At this time? Don't you want to wait for tomorrow?" It was pretty late and he wasn't in the mood for trying one of her experiments.

"Yes, Sir. Have a cup of coffee if you need one. It will be just a moment, really." Her smile couldn't have been more contagious. It was impossible to say "no" to her.

"Okay, okay. What should I do?"

"Sit in that chair." She pointed at the same chair which he used unintentionally earlier that day.

As he was connected to the chair, Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he was standing in the middle of Sam's living room.

"Ehm, Carter?" She was standing in front of him in her jogging pants and a black T-shirt. His own clothes were also changed to something more comfortable. "Are we in your house?"

"Yes, Sir. I made a program where I adjusted the environment in a crystal. Since I knew I was going to spend quite some time in it, I made something close to me. Is it okay for you?"

"Yes, no problem. I was just slightly shocked everything worked out as it should have. Do you know that our clothes changed?"

"It was also part of the program. I set it to a more comfortable level."

"Ah." Jack had nothing against it. "Okay, so what did you want to show me?"

"I found a certain symbol on the wall in both of our "VR" experiences. That symbol works like an exit mechanism when you want to leave the device."

"Oh, nice. It's really good to know it _now_. If we'd known it earlier, we wouldn't have needed to end up experiencing all the things," said Jack passionately. "Ehm, not that I am complaining," he whispered fast under his breath. Sam heard it and smiled unintentionally. She wouldn't erase her experience as well.

"How is it possible that I didn't find it in the room where I was? I tried to check the walls, but didn't find anything."

"I am not 100% sure, Sir, but the symbol itself doesn't emit the light or has significant structure. It could be that you just overlooked it."

"Yes, that could be possible. I was not able to reach everywhere and honestly, I wasn't exactly in the Sherlock Holmes mood."

Sam grinned, because she knew what he meant by it. "So Sir, can you help me to find one here? You can start in the kitchen part and I will look at it here in the living room. The symbol has a shape of fancy U with a small loop. Something like this Ꮼ." She drew an example in the air. Jack nodded in an understanding and went to the kitchen.

"Sir?" He heard her from the living room.

"Yes?"

"It should be on the wall, or at least in both of the cases I tested, it was there. So please, start there."

He took a look at the tiles above the sink and progressed to the part where the cupboards were hanging, when he found it. It was very similar to the symbol that Sam drew and as she said, it was very faint. "I have it!"

"Great!" She followed him to the kitchen. "This symbol should bring us back to our reality. I find it very useful for further examination and potential usage of the chairs in SGC."

"Good job, Carter. Now, let's go out of here."

Sam nodded and pressed the symbol on the wall. There was no change. She tried it again, this time more firmly, but nothing happened. Sam looked at Jack confused and pressed it one more time. "I, I don't know why it's not working. Can you try it too?" Jack pressed the symbol, but as Sam's previous attempts, it didn't bring them back to her lab.

"Let me think about it." Sam was talking to herself as she went back to the living room and sat on the sofa. Jack followed her and stood next to her.

"When I entered our previous memories alone, I was able to get out without problems. I pressed the symbol and I was out. Why isn't it working now?" She put her face into her hands and ran her fingers through her hair. Jack was looking at her carefully and the longer he had to stand her growing desperation, the stronger his own frustration became. He wanted to help her, but everything that came to his mind was just bullshit. However, sometimes exactly his simple wisdom got them out of precarious situations.

"Carter, can it be because of me?" Stupid questions could be helpful as well.

"Because of you?"

"Yeah?"

"Because of you…" she whispered to herself. "Why would _you_ be a problem? Why- _Sir!"_ Sam said it, suddenly loud. "You're a genius!"

"Nothing new to me, Carter." He smiled at her and it made him happy to see her smiling back. His attempt at cheering her up was successful. "Now, tell me why exactly am I a genius?"

"I totally forgot to adjust the program for both of us. In my previous experience I was alone in the crystal, but now we both are in the one memory crystal. I didn't think that it could bring us both to this situation. I'm sorry, Sir."

"Never mind, Carter. Can you fix it?"

"Yes, but not from here. I need to use my computer."

"But you can't use your lab when we are stuck here."

"Yes, exactly," she paused briefly. "Let me think about our possibilities." She settled on the couch and her muscles relaxed. Jack noticed something very familiar, something he had missed so far. She wore her favourite socks, _the_ pug socks.

"Oh, your beloved pug socks," he pointed at them without thinking.

Sam, a little bit confused by his reaction, noticed her colorful socks and smiled at him. "Ah, yeah. I forgot that I programmed them to this reali-," she suddenly stopped and her narrowed eyes looked at him suspiciously. "Sir, how do you know, they are my favourite socks? I never had them in SGC."

" _Damn."_ The thought crossed his mind.

"You mentioned it." There was no way he could get out of it without a confession.

"When did I mention it?" There was no suspicion in her expression anymore; instead, there was fear of the inevitable.

With a deep breath, he let those words sound aloud. "In your crystal." His courage to look at her wavered, but he had to face her reaction. As he feared, Sam's face revealed her deepest distress. She didn't say anything, her eyes were fixed to the distance, but the feelings that were closing around them, said it out loud. It wasn't good.

A stream of words erupted from him as if he had been waiting for it all day, for the opportunity to confess. "Carter, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It was an accident. I came to your lab, you weren't there and then, suddenly, I don't know how, I was there, in that _damn_ chair."

"The note," she whispered. She got it now, but in order to fully understand the situation, it was necessary to ask one more thing. "Did you... did you experience _everything_?" She asked, finally looking at him.

"Everything," Jack responded soothingly.

"Everything" resonated in her mind. She should have felt touched, but instead of it she was relieved. The burden of guilt was lifted up from her and she felt lighter. They were equal. It wasn't necessary to hide anything from him. He had been her and she had been him.

"I'm sorry, Sir." Her voice sounded calmer and her muscles weren't so tense anymore.

"Sorry? Why?" Jack was truly surprised. " _Why should it have been her fault?_ "

"I didn't properly mark the chair and it was probably the cause of this _misunderstanding_." She stood up from the sofa, next to him, standing closer than she would have allowed herself normally. "And…."

"And?" Jack's raised eyebrows were waiting for her to continue, but his posture relaxed as she came closer.

"And I'm sorry that I experienced the same misunderstanding as you." There was unquestionably zero amount of wit and definitely a big portion of shame in her voice for it to be just a joke.

"What?!" Jack burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me?" He was really amused by the situation. He had been thinking about it the whole day, that he'd broken into her privacy in the biggest mistake that he had ever made, and it turned out that the same thing happened to her as well. He couldn't have been mad, he felt relief. They were even.

"What, how... explain it, Carter."

Sam, positively affected by his reaction, explained the replacement of the crystals. Jack was listening carefully and he made sure he didn't interrupt her. When she was done, he had one question. The same question that had been already asked. "Did you experience everything?"

As he had before, she responded calmly. "Everything."

He rubbed his face before he spoke. "You know what? I'm glad. It was pretty damn difficult to hide it from you, but now we are in it together."

His well-known grin brightened her face as well. "I feel the same, Sir. On one side I am very sorry, but on the other one... Sir, it was pretty intense, wasn't it?" asked Sam, still a bit ashamedly.

"You bet!" agreed Jack.

"The lock mechanism," she whispered.

"The cake," he added softly.

She blushed even more and her widely opened eyes suddenly found a very interesting spot somewhere on the ceiling instead in his own eyes. She was cute when she didn't know how to react.

"So, what now?" asked Jack, delighted by her reaction.

"We have two possibilities," said Sam, slowly turning her gaze back to him, trying to calm her breathing down. "One is to wait until Dr. Lee comes to my lab and unplugs us, but this would take several hours, or..."

"Or?" He suspected that the second option was a little bit trickier.

"We have to fill the crystal and the chairs will automatically unplug us."

"Fill the crystal?"

"Yes, with our emotions."

"Oh, damn and I forgot to bring my favourite book of jokes," said Jack dryly.

"Sir," Sam laughed. "I don't think it would save us."

"And what will save us?"

His question remained unanswered in the air. She broke their eye contact and looked at the ground. Seeing her embarrassment, he wanted to hug her, but he decided to control his urge to. He had to know one more thing.

"Ehm," Jack cleared his throat. "Carter, how real is _this_ reality?"

"What do you mean, Sir?" Her curious look was fixed on him again.

Jack was looking for the right words. "Let's say... _somebody_ makes something that would be against regulations. Does it count in the real world? _Purely hypothetically_ , of course."

"Ah." A slight smile appeared on Sam's lips. " _Purely hypothetically,_ I don't think so _._ I imagine this reality as something like a dream. A dream that you can control. Our bodies are physically in SGC and our minds are here. I'm not an expert in this topic-"

Jack jumped into her sentence courageously, " _yet_."

Sam smiled and finished her sentence, "but I think that _somebody_ would be safe."

"Good, good," said Jack, more or less to himself than to Sam. "Carter, when we are talking about getting out of here, what type of emotions should we... donate?"

"I don't know exactly, but they have to be strong." Sam moved slightly closer to Jack without really realizing it. The distance was already pretty short and, with her move, she was able to feel the heat from his body.

"Do you mean, something similar that happened to us before? Similar… emotions?" Talking about what happened without mentioning the details, knowing what they had felt and what they were feeling now, was making the whole situation more intimate and, in a certain way, it felt so natural. His body reacted in a similar way as Sam's and moved towards her unconsciously. Their eyes were locked onto each other and even when nobody said anything, they knew what they had to do. What they wished to do the most.

"Maybe," said Sam, biting her lip softly. The distance between them was closing and neither of them protested. Jack started to feel the heat from Sam's skin as their bodies got closer, tempted to touch her, he broke the silence. "Maybe we should just try something." His fingers reached for her and, sliding down her arm, intertwined with hers. Sam's deep sigh was basically an answer to him.

"Maybe a little touch. That never hurts, does it?" His voice turned to a whisper as his other hand hugged her around her waist. Sam nodded and let her body be pulled closer to his.

"A little touch didn't help," said Jack, looking around, pretending to be surprised that they were still captured, but deep inside content that it didn't work. His attempt to amuse her, conjured a smile on her blushed face.

"We need _stronger_ emotions, Sir," said Sam, her voice courageous yet soft.

"Hm, stronger you say." Jack's hand moved from her waist to her neck and touched it gently with his fingers. Sam's muffled moan reassured Jack in his intentions. Her head, slightly tilted to the side, gave easier access to his thumb that was caressing and exploring the edge of her jaws up to her ear and back. Slowly looking at her face, her blue eyes and slightly parted lips, his touch stopped on her chin for a moment, as if it was not sure if it should continue, but then boldly brushed over the sensitive skin of her lower lip. Sam's bated breath hit the surface of his finger, giving him a sensation that ignited his body. He needed to have her, touch her, smell her. Both of his hands were suddenly cupping her face, tracing her cheek bones, brushing over her beautifully flushed skin, while she completely entrusted herself to him. Her eyes were pleading, craving for touch that would fill their longing. Jack couldn't stand her sight anymore and leaned over to her still cupping her cheeks and lightly brushed his lips over hers. Feeling the heat radiating from her, he stopped right in front of them and let their breath mix together.

"Jack?"

The intimate tone of her voice made him act. Pulling her face closer, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly. She welcomed it with a suppressed sigh and let her tongue touch his fleetingly. Their lips moved in unison, smoothly, lightly, without any hesitation. Her soft lips on his, her warm breath on his skin, her muffled moans playing with his mind, he longed for it for such a long time. They didn't need to hurry; they had all the time in the world. They were relishing every touch, enjoying every second of their connection.

Until they opened their eyes.

The cruel truth hit them unprepared, finding themselves sitting in the chairs of Sam's lab. Both stunned by the experience that had only occurred a few seconds ago, still with a faint taste of their kiss, but sensing the silence of the laboratory.

"Carter, what happened?" said Jack hoarsely, unplugging the electrodes from his skin.

"I...I think the crystal is full." Sam, like Jack, cleared her throat and looked around her in confusion.

"Full? Really?" Jack couldn't hide his disappointment. He expected a longer exposure of their emotions. He was prepared. She was prepared. _Damn_.

The eye contact that they shared as he helped her get out of the chair told him that she felt the same way.

"Let me look at the data, Sir." As soon as Sam said it, she moved to sit behind the computer controlling a graph of the crystal. "C'mere."

" _That's what I'm usually saying,"_ thought Jack, coming closer to her.

"Look at that diagram, Sir. Do you see that growth of incoming emotions? 97%," Sam paused briefly, "solely in the last few minutes."

"Do you want to tell me 97% of the whole capacity of the crystal was filled in those few last minutes when we-"

"Yes, Sir," Sam quickly interrupted him.

"I thought we needed strong emotions. Not that _that_ wasn't strong. It was _very_ strong-to me, but- I mean strong like the first time, you know, the first time in the crystal." Jack blabbered.

Sam tried to hide the smile from his reaction and looked at him. "It was enough."

"It was enough," Jack whispered to himself. He knew he felt the feelings, but apparently he wasn't aware of their full strength. They both weren't.

"Honestly Sir. We should have predicted it." Sam's cheeks started to blush.

"How so?"

"After what we experienced in each other's "fantasies", we should have sensed that it wouldn't take long to fill the crystal. They were our suppressed dreams and even though we would never admit it, our feelings are there and they are deeper that we would have thought. Sir," she lowered her voice, "if I can speak freely, just for a little moment. Our kiss was the strongest thing that I have ever experienced with somebody." Her face was fully tinted and her breath started to quicken again.

Jack, flattered by her words, wasn't able to express his feelings better other than with a hug.

Sam let herself be wrapped up and held by him for a while. It was everything that she needed.

His mouth came closer to her ear, then he whispered, "And that was only a kiss, Major. One day..." He left the sentence unspoken and left their hug with a smile on his lips. Looking at her, noticing her own smile, Jack felt very content and somehow lighter.

"So, Carter," started Jack, after making a reasonable distance between them. "What are you going to do with the crystals?"

"I'm going to study them more. I think we didn't really reach their full potential," said Sam with a playful smile on her lips.

"Didn't we?" asked Jack with an acted seriousness.

"According to my opinion, they need to be visited more often. For scientific purposes, of course. Sir, the further examination and tests will certainly need supervision," continued Sam in a light tone.

Jack was looking at her, thinking about the right way to answer.

"If you are too busy, I can ask General Hammond," Sam was not able to hold back her grin anymore while looking at confused Jack.

"Oh, hey hey! I didn't say I'm not going to help you! You know my adorable weakness of always helping other people." Her teasing put crazy thoughts about her and Hammond into his mind, but he had to admit that her move was brilliantly wicked.

Content with his answer, Sam gave him one of her stunning innocent smiles.

"Okay, Carter. We should take some rest. Contact me if you need help with your next _experiment_."

"Understood, Sir. Good night."

"Good night, Major." Jack approached the door of her lab where the train of his thoughts made him freeze on the spot. He turned one more time to her. "Hammond, really?!" stated Jack questionably.

Sam, instead of answering, smiled at him widely and twitched one shoulder in amusement. Grumbling under his breath and shaking his head in disbelief, Jack stepped into the hall. _"Carter, Carter. You fit me so well."_

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: It was inspired by the episodes Gamekeeper S02E04 and Avatar S08E06.


End file.
